1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a slot symbol game and apparatus suitable for use in casinos and other gaming enterprises. The invention further relates to mechanical, electro-mechanical or video gaming play that provides bonus elements for a bonus event that are available for predetermined time intervals, and that may be accepted by a qualified player during a specific allotment of time.
2. Background of the Art
Gaming machines, and in particular slot machine games, have grown exponentially in numbers in the last twenty years, as have the revenues generated by such devices. Since it is estimated that at least 70% of any casino's revenues are now provided by gaming machines, there is increasingly fierce competition among the machine manufacturers to attract and maintain customers with compelling game content.
Slot manufacturers strive to differentiate their machines by adding unique features and methods, and these proprietary innovations are designed to initially attract a player to a particular slot machine and then retain the player's interest for protracted periods of time.
Especially in the last decade, primary or base machine games have been augmented by special features that are particularly popular with the gaming public. One of the most popular features is known in the art as bonus game play. In many cases the awards that may be won in a bonus game are more lucrative than base game pays, so the player is encouraged to play for longer periods until the bonus opportunity is achieved. Bonus game play may consist of certain enhancements to the base game play, such as free spins and multipliers, or it may add a separate bonus game event that either replaces the base game on the screen or is displayed in a second screen. One of the most popular second-screen bonus methods is a “pick-a-window” gameplay as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,255 (Thomas, et al.). The player picks a window that exposes a credit value, and keeps picking until an end-bonus symbol is displayed. The player is then rewarded with the credit values accumulated before the end-bonus symbol is picked. A more recent bonus scheme involves community gaming. Networked machines provide players who qualify for a bonus to participate in a community bonus event. U.S. Pat. No. 7,448,949 (Kaminkow, et al.) teaches a gaming device system in which a plurality of gaming devices are linked by a common bonus event. The bonus device comprises a plurality of sections and values displayed at each section. Upon a triggering of the bonus event, any player eligible to participate in the bonus may achieve an outcome generated from the bonus event including the shared display. When the shared display is activated, it simultaneously generates a separate or individual outcome associated with each of the gaming devices.
Certain prior art has attempted to enhance the known bonus game play.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,037,195 (Schneider, et al.) provides a time-based bonus system that can be pre-configured to award a certain amount of money to players of networked gaming devices over a certain time period. The time-based bonus system may include a variety of networked gaming devices and a method of arranging participation so that each of the variety of gaming devices has appropriate representation in the bonus pool. The amount of bonus money in a bonus pool is pre-determined by a casino or other gaming network operator.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,381,134 (Cuddy, et al.) discloses an apparatus and method for a free spins game including a plurality of reels, an outcome and a plurality of sections associated with the outcome. The gaming device or player activates the reels to indicate a designated symbol combination including at least two section indicator symbols. When a designated symbol combination including the section indicator symbols is indicated on the reels, the gaming device obtains the corresponding section. The gaming device or player continues to activate the reels until there are no free spins remaining in the game or until all of the sections are obtained. The gaming device then provides the outcome to the player.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,258,611 (Bigelow, Jr., et al.) includes an apparatus and method for a bonus game, and particularly a free spin bonus with an incrementing multiplier. The bonus game includes a plurality of reels having a plurality of symbols and multipliers. The gaming device provides a number of free spins to the player at the beginning of the bonus game. The multiplier preferably starts at “1.times.” and increases by one after each free spin. Initially, the player spins the reels attempting to obtain a winning symbol combination on the reels. If the player obtains a winning combination, the gaming device provides an award. The award is multiplied by the multiplier and the player receives the multiplied award for that free spin. The player continues to spin the reels until there are no free spins remaining in the bonus game.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,250,001 (Baerlocher, et al.) provides a gaming device having a separately changeable value and multiplier bonus scheme. The bonus scheme begins when a triggering event occurs during normal operation of the gaming device. Initially, the game displays a value and a multiplier to the player, which form an offer. The game enables the player to keep the offer or change either the value or the multiplier. If the player changes either, the game changes the value or multiplier selected by the player, and yields a new offer. In the preferred embodiment of the bonus scheme, the player can keep the new offer or change the value or multiplier and obtain a final new offer. After the player can no longer change the value or multiplier or if at any time the player keeps an offer, the bonus scheme ends by adding the amount of the offer to the player's gaming device credit, and the player resumes normal play.
United States Patent Application No. 20100075738 (Roukis) discloses a method of gaming comprising: conducting a base game; modifying a current value of a feature counter by a random value in response to a designated counter event occurring in the base game; determining whether the current value of the feature counter corresponds to one of a plurality of feature games in response to a feature trigger event occurring; and conducting any feature game to which the current value of the feature counter corresponds.
United States Patent Application No. 20100041464 (Arezina, et al.) teaches a gaming system for playing a wagering game that includes a plurality of gaming machines configured to play a wagering game and to participate in a community-event. A movable member is disposed substantially adjacent to the plurality of gaming machines and is configured to move relative to the plurality of gaining machines from a first position to a second position during a community-event in response to a single triggering event. The movable member is moved relative to the plurality of gaming machines during a community-event to reveal at least one community-event outcome for the community-event.
United States Patent Application No. 20100029367 (Englman, et al.) describes a gaming system for conducting a wagering game that includes a community display for displaying a community game having a plurality of features for determining a community award that is awarded to all players at eligible linked gaming machines. The community game includes selection of a player at an eligible linked gaming machine to interact with the community game to determine the community award. One of the plurality of features includes a community free spin feature that awards free spins of a base wagering game to each player.
United States Patent Application No. 20100029363 (Hoffman, et al.) discloses a communal game that is displayed by a gaming system. A plurality of gaming devices each enable a player to wager on plays of a primary game and determine an eligibility status. The communal game repeatedly generates at least one communal game symbol from a plurality of communal game symbols regardless of whether any player is wagering on plays of a primary game. The communal game triggers a bonus event based on the generated symbols. Any eligible gaming devices may participate in the bonus event. For each eligible gaming device, the gaming system applies at least one symbol or gaming element from the communal game to the primary game of the eligible gaming device. Each eligible gaming device provides an award based on any winning symbol combinations generated by application of the communal game symbol or gaming element.
United States Patent Application No. 20090042641 (Anderson, et al.) discloses a gaming system for playing a wagering game that includes a display and a controller. The display displays a base game of the wagering game in response to receiving a wager input from a player. The controller is coupled to the display and, in response to receiving the wager input, is programmed to increment eligibility time to a counter of bonus-time eligibility. The counter is decremented as real time progresses. If the counter is greater than zero when a bonus game of the wagering game is triggered, the player is allowed to play the bonus game.
Despite the aforementioned prior art, there remains a need to afford players the chance to choose bonus game elements based upon timing and risk. The present invention provides players with timed opportunities in which to pick bonus game elements. An advantage to the present invention is that multiple bonus elements are displayed for predetermined time intervals and the player must try to capture the best potential bonus game elements possible within a designated time frame. The cautious player may choose to accept a modest bonus scheme (5 free spins at 2× pay, for instance), while the riskier player may reject the said modest bonus scheme in order to ultimately have a chance at a more lucrative bonus scheme (10 free spins at 10× pay, for instance). The riskier player's designated time frame of opportunity, however, may decrement to zero before the said lucrative bonus scheme is offered, and he may ultimately have to accept a meager bonus scheme (2 free spins at 1× pay, for example).